A. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to a warp knit fabric having velvet finish on one side with a preselected pattern and a velour finish on the second side, as well as a method for making the same.
B. Description of the Prior Art
A method of making a nappable knit fabric on a double needle bar knitting machine is known in which from five to eight yarn guide bars are used to knit fabrics simultaneously. After knitting, the fabrics are separated by cutting the interconnecting pile yarns. The pile yarns are carried by the middle or inner bars (for example, bars three, four and five on a seven bar arrangement) which tie the front and the back support fabrics together. These are also the yarns which are disposed on the technical face of each fabric and are used to give the fabric a particular characteristic and aesthetic value such as pattern, softness, luster, hand, resiliency, fullness, bulk and warmth. These characteristics are generally achieved by selecting the proper pile yarn for these bars as well as by the movement of the bars.
However, these inner yarns do not contribute to the dimensional stability and strength of the fabric. Physical characteristics are provided in known fabrics by the backing yarns which are normally thinner and less bulky than the pile yarns on the middle bars. Their main purpose is to form the fabric substrate, hold the fabric together, as well as to provide dimensional stability. Therefore, in known fabrics, these yarns are positioned, sized and arranged so that they are substantially invisible.
A disadvantage of this construction, known in the art, is that the technical face of the fabric is not nappable by itself, but only by pulling pile yarn from the technical back with the result that these fabrics have a velour finish on the technical face with the same pattern and composition as the velvet finish on the technical back.